How to Get a Southwest Companion Pass Without Spending $110,000 in 2018

For the last three years, since 2014, I've had Southwest's Companion Pass.

And I know I'll have it until the end of next year, 2018, because we re-qualified this year.

I'm not a “travel hacker” or some guru. I'm a regular person like you.

I have little interest in getting a dozen credit cards, joining half a dozen rewards and loyalty programs, and figure out the most efficient way to convert hotel points into airline points into whatever. I don't want to do a spreadsheet to track it all. I don't want to download any calculators.

To the folks who love that stuff, I salute you. I'm a huge nerd myself and love a good spreadsheet, everyone knows that, but travel hacking isn't one of those things.

That said, I see why it's appealing. Going on nearly free trips, staying at swanky hotels for nearly nothing, and getting the most out of a credit card is fantastic.

Here's step by step how I did it.

Before I got the Southwest Companion Pass, I was looking into the whole travel hacking phenomenon. I learned it wasn't for me, except with one exception — Southwest Companion Pass. We live near BWI airport (Baltimore/Washington International, Thurgood Marshall Airport), which is a big Southwest hub, so this was a perfect fit. From BWI, we could fly to many destinations including international airports like Aruba.

It looked like Southwest Companion Pass was the way to go.

What Is Southwest Companion Pass?

Companion Pass lets you name one person who can fly with you for free (you still pay the September 11th fee) anywhere you fly on Southwest. No blackout dates. You fly, they fly free (you still pay fees like the September 11th security fee)

It's an amazing perk and we've saved thousands each year because of it. It's probably one of the best frequent flyer perks out there, and you don't even need to be a frequent flyer. 🙂

To earn a Southwest Companion Pass, you need to earn 110,000 Rapid Reward points in a single year. When you do, you get the Southwest Companion Pass for the rest of the year in which you earned it plus the following year.

If you get it January 1st 2018, you'll have it until December 31st, 2018.

If you get it December 31st, 2018 then you'll only have it until December 31st, 2019!

There's a huge difference. When earning your miles, you want to get it as early in the year as possible to maximize your free flights.

Best Time to Earn Southwest Companion Pass

You want to get your SW Companion Pass as early in the year as possible since you'll get it for the remainder of the year… plus the next year.

The best time to apply for the cards is near the end of the calendar year. That way you get the cards at the start of the year, hit your spending goals, and earn Companion Pass. If you apply roughly in mid-November, get the cards shortly thereafter, you have three months (December to February) to spend the $2,000 on each card to get the bonus 100,000 miles.

You know your spending habits. Adjust your application date to when you will spend $2,000 each and then another $6,000 to reach 110,000 total points.

Personally, I applied in December, got the cards in January, and reached the spending limits sometime in February. My Companion Pass congratulations email arrived on March 6th, once all the points posted.

Can I Spend My Points Before I Get Companion Pass?

So if you earned 5,000 points in January, that's 5,000 towards that year's Companion Pass eligibility. You can spend those points on flights, your meter will still have the 5,000 points that you earned. If you log into your account and at the top, it'll tell you your progress towards A-List and Companion Pass:

I've already earned it for 2017 and 2018, so mine is completely blue. As you accumulate points, it'll fill up to the 110,000 points you need. (A-List is always a tease though!)

How I Got My Southwest Companion Pass

It's very simple — the credit cards. And wait for the 50,000 mile promotions.

The base promotion is 25,000 miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. Bah, that's terrible, don't get that.

Sometimes they offer 60,000 points but that's rare. You can wait for it but I'd rather get the points sooner and fly more. That's a personal choice.

You want the 50,000 points version. Anyone with an existing Southwest credit card can refer you to this offer, plus they get 10,000 points too (and those points count towards Companion Pass too!).

If you get the Premier and Business cards, spend the minimum, and now you have 115,000 points. Ding ding – Companion Pass.

If you get the Premier and Plus cards, spend the minimum, and now you have 104,000 points. You're just $6,000 in spend away from Companion Pass.

Once you hit 110,000 points, you'll get SW Companion Pass for rest of the current year AND the next year!

Do the bonuses from the Personal Premier card and Personal Plus cards count? Yes! According to Southwest:

An answer straight from Southwest Airlines themselves!

Remember the Chase 5/24 rule! Chase has a rule that if you've been approved for 5 cards in the last 24 months, you will be declined for new cards. You probably can remember when you applied for a card but if you've forgotten, the best way to check is to check your credit reports.

If you don't see the 50,000 promotion, be patient and wait. The standard 25,000 point version just isn't as good and the 50,000 comes back all the time. Southwest also offers a Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card (instead of Premier) which has a lower annual fee ($69) and a few other smaller bonuses (3,000 anniversary points instead of 6,000 for example). There are often 40,000 Rapid Rewards point bonuses too – you can take those if you want but 50k is ideal.

So to quickly recap how I earned Southwest Companion Pass:

Get Southwest Premier Credit card, spend $2000 in 3 months

Get Southwest Premier Business credit card, spend $3000 in 3 months

OR, Get Southwest Plus card, spend $2000 in 3 months

If you got the business card, enjoy your CP! If you got the Plus, spend $6,000 to get SW Companion Pass

Profit.

In total, this will cost you $198 in annual fees ($99 x 2), which don't count towards the $2,000/$3,000 spending on either card.

Want other ways to earn RR points without the credit card OR flying? My list of Southwest Airlines money-saving hacks explains how their various point earning programs work, from the Dining program to electricity supplier reward programs.

Other Things to Remember

Before we go into the business card section, some last few thoughts:

You only need to spend purchase requirements in the first three months to get the bonus point promotions on each card. That's the only time limit. The remaining amount you can spread out over the rest of the year, but it's better to spend it earlier so you'll have Companion Pass for longer.

The goal is to earn 110,000 Southwest Rapid Reward points in a year, so all the other ways of earning them (like flying, renting cars, hotels, etc.) are all in play. We focused on the credit cards and putting the points in terms of spending because it was easiest to explain. You don't have to spend $6,000 to get the other 6,000 points, you can earn them in more traditional ways.

You can change your flight Companion up to three times in the validity period.

If you are a Hyatt Gold Passport member, you can convert 5,000 points to 2,400 Rapid Rewards points (if you transfer 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, you get a 6,000 bonus). So check your other programs to see what converts over and can count towards the 110,000 points. Chase Ultimate Rewards conversions do not count towards Companion Pass qualifying though. Some folks will take Ultimate Rewards, transfer to Hyatt, and then transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards. (This was removed from the program effective January 1st, 2017 — more below)

That means e-Rewards, e-Miles, converted points from hotel and car loyalty partners, Valued Opinions and Diners Club will no longer count towards qualification for Companion Pass. You still get the points, they just don't count towards the 110k you need each year.

Years ago, a popular strategy was to convert Chase Ultimate Rewards points and this change closed that method.

🙁

Applying for the Business Credit Card

If you have a business, awesome! (if you don't, your best option is the Personal Plus card)

Use all the information you have from that.

What if you don't have a business? You're in luck, you might have a business and not even know it. In the United States, if you earn income outside of a job reporting your income on a W-2, then you are operating a sole proprietorship. You don't need to be incorporated, you don't need to have any employees, and you don't even need to make that much money.

In fact, if you've made a profit three out of the last five years, the IRS considers that a business and not a hobby.

Pending Review??? Once you apply, your application will be approved or “pending review.” Pending review is not always bad but it means they couldn't verify your business or need more information.

Wait a day or two, then call the reconsideration line and ask them that you'd like to check on the status of your application. Be prepared to answer these types of questions about your business:

What is your business and what do you do?

How long have you been in business and what were your annual revenues and profits?

How much do you expect to make this year, revenue and profit?

Whether they approve you will be up to the representative but here are a few tips for a reconsideration call.

When I got the card, I had to call the reconsideration line even though I've had a revenue-generating business for years. They can't verify anything on the application through a third party so the approval process is effectively the same as for the personal card. And remember, when I applied, I told them I was a blogger.

How much have we used it?

ALL THE TIME.

I can't even remember the last time we flew an airline other than Southwest. We've since gotten a few flights to New York to visit my parents, Boston to visit my sister and her family, plus vacations to San Juan, PR and soon a flight to Aruba.

The most expensive flight we've gotten for “free” (you pay taxes and fees) will be the one to Aruba. That baby cost me $727.50 and will cost my lovely wife just $70.60. That comes out to be just under $400 per person.

$400 for a direct flight to Aruba? I'll take it.

The 110,000 points we get via promotions are valuable too. They're worth about 1.77 cents on the best Wanna Get Away fares ($108 o/w from BWI to ISP), so that's worth about $1900+ in and of itself.

All in all, this experience has been a very positive one.

If you have questions, leave them in the comments below and I'll be happy to answer them.

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About Jim Wang

Jim Wang is a thirty-something father of two who has been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.

He can show you the philosophies, tools, strategies and methods he used to become financially independent and free to pursue what was important.

One of his favorite tools is Personal Capital, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you're on track to retire when you want. It's free.

Thanks for the tip. I called and they said that Chase/Southwest can automatically link the two accounts together as they process the account. I guess they match on name to know which account to link it to. I’m a bit worried that’s there’s no way to confirm this is actually true, but I guess I’ll wait and see if rewards points start showing up in my account after I use my card…

Following up, the account was properly linked, so I got my points for last month. Another quick question, will I get the 50k bonus as soon as I reach 3k spent? Or will it not be until I hit the 3 month mark even if I reach 3k spent sooner?

Hi Jim, right now I have 61,000 points toward a Companion Pass, most of that earned from the bonus from the Visa RR plus card. If I now open a Premier Card account with a 40,000 bonus, do you think that would apply toward the Companion Pass? Thanks, Phil

I applied for and got a Southwest Business premier card and also a Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card. Will I get the bonus for both cards since they are southwest cards from chase OR not on the second card because it is a rapid rewards cards. This is all so confusing. Your article was very much appreciated. Thank you!

Thanks for the tips. I got both personal cards and both 50k bonuses have now posted. Between that and my spending, I am just short a little over 700 miles….so close. I was really hoping to get the pass ASAP. Are there certain types of miles that credit fast (other than flying). I was hoping I wouldn’t need to wait another month for the next credit card miles to transfer.

I’ve had Rapid Rewards shopping points hit within a week of purchasing. I bought snow tires and wheels through Tire Rack and got nearly 2000 additional points (the extra points you get by shopping through their portal, other than the purchase price points that show up on your credit card statement). I was ready to order directly through Tire Rack’s site but checked SW Shopping and saw that they were a partner. Paid the same exact price, but got the extra points which hit well before the credit card statement. Dining points could go either way. I’ve had some take almost a month, and some hit within a weeks or so I think.

That worked! I made some purchases I already needed through the Rapid Rewards shopping portal on Sunday and the miles were credited to my account already. I have now chosen my companion for the pass. Thank you again for the great information. I am so excited to make use of the pass!

Great article. I recently opened (Jan) an LLC with another partners, including my wife. Can i get a business premier card on my wife’s name (with 60000 points) and then get next card at 40000 points for a total of 100K.

If i get the card on business name, however, the intent is to use for personal use only for now as our business is still getting upto speed and no revenue yet

Since I am way over the 5/24, is there a way my dad can apply for both the Southwest cards with me as an AU but with me getting the pass since he is too old to fly? He said he would happily apply for the cards for me. Didn’t know if there is a way to pull this off.

Hi! The rewards to sign up now are 40,000 pts and I am wanting to apply for a credit card to get the companion pass eventually. If I apply now, and get two credit cards it would be 80,000. If I earn the 110K not this year but say Jan 2018 would that be possible to use points from the 2017 year and 2018 year? If so, would i get the pass for 2018 and 2019 or only 2018? Also, can you use any of the 110K points on flights before you reach the 110, or do all the points have to be unused?

Jim, you ROCK. Thanks for being all over this! I love SWA as well and it’s the only airline I fly for BUSINESS – that’s right. I earned my companion pass in 3 months booking business select, one-way flights! Love it. Anyway, I don’t travel as much for work and may need to try CC bonus points to earn it for next year (my current pass ends 12/31/17). My questions: – I currently have 33k pts towards my 110k. Knowing they reset on Jan 1, should I try to get to 110k through bonuses by December, or let them restart in Jan and start from zero? -I already have a SW Visa – can I still earn 50k bonus points through special offers or is it just for new customers? -I have a business as well and plan to get the card – when should I do this?

Thank you oh SW Guru… they should make you an ambassador and let you fly for free forever.

Southwest is offering 60K miles for their Plus and 60K miles for their Premier cards. I’m reading in some deal forums that people are signing up for one of each and qualifying for the companion pass (120K points in a year) with a $4000 qualifying spend.

The timing isn’t perfect to maximize nearly two years of the companion pass, but why look a gift-horse in the mouth, right?

I’m reading that the people who applied recently and only got 40K can call customer support and get the 60K. I think it’s YMMV, but it’s worth a try.

Hi Jim, Thank you for your useful info. I just qualified for the companion pass and have it thru 12/31/18. Since I already have the pass thru next year, I’m assuming the points I accumulate for the rest of 2017 don’t really help me at all. And do I need 110,000 points in calendar year 2018 to qualify for 2019? So every calendar year after 2018 I need to get a total of 110,000 points to keep getting the companion pass? The reason I ask is that I also have the VISA flexperks card which has been great for using points to fly. So, should I just switch to using that card for the rest of 2017 since I already have the southwest pass? And, then which do I use in 2018? Thanks much, Pip L

You are correct, the points you earn now do not count towards Companion Pass since you have it for 2017 and 2018 already. The points you earn in 2018 will get you CP for 2019 (since you already have 2018).

I do not currently have any SW CC. There is a promotion going on for 60K points if you spend $2K within the first 3 months. If I apply now and get accepted for both and reach my $4K then I will have the 112K which will qualify me for the companion pass. However, it’d only apply towards the end of December 2018 correct?

As for when this companion pass expires and I have to re-earn 110K points, how would I be able to reach that again come January 2019? Without the initial bonus points I would only be getting approximately 9K points after my card member anniversary which wouldn’t kick in until around halfway through the year. Is it possible to apply for both the premier and plus at the same time and get approved for both? I have not opened a CC in several years.

great article! thank you for sharing! I have a couple questions for you. 1. I understand how you got the companion pass the first time, but how have you kept it? 2. Do you keep both of your cards active or did you cancel one after you got the initial bonus and qualified for the companion pass? I would rather not have to pay the annual fee on both so I was thinking I would cancel the second one after I qualified for the pass. Do I have to keep the card for a certain amount of time to keep the points? thanks!

1. I put all of my business expenses through the Southwest business card and between that spending and our personal spending, we’re able to hit the points we need. 2. I have kept both cards. Once you earn the points, you don’t need to keep the card but I’ve been using mine to keep earning points.

I currently have the personal southwest card that has the $69 annual fee. If I am reading this correct, I can apply for the Premier Personal card that has the $99 fee/year and can get the 60,000 points? I hope this is correct b/c that would be all of the points I need to get the companion pass for the rest of this year and 2018! Thanks!

Great article. I am still a bit confused about the spending within a calendar year rule. The current 60k sign up bonus ends on 6/29 and I’m debating whether I should get it now because it seems like once I spend enough to get the 110k points, there will only be a few months left in 2017.

So if I get the card now for the 60k bonus and do nothing else, will I lose that 60k at the end of the year and have to earn another 110k starting in 2018?

In your article, you said that the best time to apply for the card is towards the end of the year and finish accruing points in January. That makes it seem like you when you reset, you don’t lose your bonus points?

I was told that you no longer get credit towards companion pass for the credit card. I signed up for the Chase Southwest CC and it told me I get 60,000 points if I spend $2000 in the 1st three months- does this count towards the points needed for companion pass? What about when you book a hotel through Southwest- do those points go toward it?

If I apply now to get the 50k bonus miles & take my time for the rest, will those 50k roll over until January? I’m thinking of getting 1 card now, & 1 late December so that I reach the mark in January 2018. Will this work?

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